In today’s Dub Hub:
- Steve Kerr meets with Warriors vets to discuss potential load management with tough upcoming schedule.
- Steph Curry joins LeBron James and Steve Nash as a guest on the Mind the Game Podcast.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo hits game-winner in Bucks’ 117-115 win over the Pacers.
The Golden State Warriors’ veteran trio of Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green have carried a heavy workload early in the season — playing all seven games in a demanding stretch that’s expected to get even tougher in the upcoming weeks.
Following an 0-2 road trip where the team looked noticeably sluggish, head coach Steve Kerr said he met with Curry, Butler, Green, general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr., and the team’s director of sports medicine Rick Celebrini about finding ways to manage the group’s
minutes moving forward.
“We have to address that,” Kerr said about potential rest for his veteran players. “We did today. I sat down with Mike (Dunleavy Jr.) and Rick Celebrini, [Draymond Green], Steph (Curry) and Jimmy (Butler) — the main three guys who are going to play heavy minutes. I mentioned it the other night, seven games in 12 days, five cities. Not an easy schedule. And I think it showed the last two games. We looked a half-step slow in a lot of ways.”
The Warriors have made it clear that keeping their stars healthy is a priority — especially with the schedule ramping up and the pace of play across the league increasing. Given the age of their core, finding the right balance between competitiveness and rest will be key if Golden State wants its veteran core fresh for the long haul.
“We’re constantly collaborating with our players on this stuff,” Kerr said. “I’m collaborating with our performance team. They have all the data showing how fatigued these guys are, how fast they run, their recovery time, all that stuff. So what that means is, we have to navigate not only back-to-backs, but three games in four nights. The rules the NBA gives us in terms of which games guys can rest, which games they can’t. That’s something we are really having to dive into now that the season’s going and rolling. It’s not easy, but we’ll do it collaboratively.”
For more on this and other news around the NBA, here is our latest news round-up for Tuesday, November 4th:
Warriors News:
Warriors’ defense adjusting to next steps in NBA’s pace and space evolution | NBC Sports Bay Area
Kerr’s assessment of his team’s defense as it currently stands is a bit of a mixed bag.
“A little bit betwixt in between,” Kerr said. “I think because of all this pace and the way teams are playing, you have to adapt and you can’t expect to do the exact same things you did even the year before. And every game is a little bit different.
“Clippers, Lakers, Denver, those felt more like traditional games where you’re in your coverage. You have time to talk through stuff. Portland, Milwaukee, Indiana, Memphis, it’s a much faster game, more random and you’ve got to be very disciplined in a lot of different aspects, otherwise you get exposed.”
Draymond Green unplugged: Behind his drive to join the greatest NBA defenders of all time | The Athletic
“If you asked me this a year ago, I would have told you (that he’d play) a year or two (more),” said Green, the former second-rounder out of Michigan State who has played in a combined 1,057 games (regular season and playoffs) over the course of his 14 seasons. “But my body feels better and better every year. I’ve learned more about my body and what I need to do. I still enjoy competing at the highest level. I still enjoy setting this goal and then going through the process and trying to reach it. So I wouldn’t necessarily say (he’ll only play) a year or two, like I would have said a year ago. I don’t really put a number on it, either. Like I’ve always said, the game will tell me when it’s time to go.”
Steph Curry joined LeBron James and Steve Nash on the Mind the Game Podcast
NBA News:
Power Rankings, Week 3: Rockets, Bucks soar; OKC still leads way | NBA
Last Week:11↑
Record: 3-2
OffRtg: 126.5 (1) DefRtg: 113.5 (12) NetRtg: +13.0 (2) Pace: 96.8 (28)
After losing their first two games by a total of five points, the Rockets have won their last three by a total of 73, overwhelming opponents with the league’s No. 1 offense.
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the fadeaway game winner vs. the Pacers
In case you missed it at Golden State of Mind:
Preview: Warriors take on Suns in Chase Center
Curry vs. Booker is the good stuff; two supernova scorers who are must see TV when they step on the court. Steph pulls up from Google Maps coordinates. Booker’s mid-range game looks choreographed by a shooting coach who moonlights in ballet. Both can get theirs, but Curry is likely to crank it up after struggling mightily in the team’s shocking loss to the Indiana Pacers.
Follow @unstoppablebaby on X for all the latest news on the Golden State Warriors.
